The present invention relates to quantum dots, and more specifically, to systems and methods for quantum dot implementations for identification, location and marking.
There are currently various situations, for example in search and recovery missions and military missions, in which identification, location and marking are vital parts for the success of the mission. For example, in the military, friendly fire accidents are all too common due to poor means of identifying friendly troops and resources. Currently, crude marking systems, simple communication systems and tracking systems are implemented in an effort to avoid friendly fire accidents. However, in the heat of battle it is difficult to determine who is friendly and who is not. This is especially true when multiple countries and differing troop insignia are involved. Using colors for visual identification can be flawed because the ability of an individual to see the colors is needed, which may not be the case. In addition, the ability to see colors at night may be severely compromised. Communication systems can take too much time to implement and can also be flawed, due to the possibility of multiple languages and communication systems between allied countries. Although computerized tracking systems are by far the most effective, they are expensive to implement across all platforms.
In another example, a military needs to mark enemy positions, without detection, during both the day and night. Typically, smoke canisters are used to mark the enemy positions. However, smoke is difficult to see at night, which is typically the time in which many military operations are performed. In addition, smoke can be seen by everyone including the enemy.
In still another example, in search and rescue operations, both civilian and military, search times for aircraft crash and sinking boat survivors in large bodies of water can be excessive. Radio beacons require maintenance and need to be activated manually. In addition, radio beacons are expensive, and so there is typically only one per vehicle (not per passenger). It can be difficult to find aircraft (especially small aircraft) that have gone down in large bodies of water. It is also difficult to find ships/boats, especially small ones, which have sunk. Therefore, rescue attempts may involve searching large areas. Radio beacon batteries may not be maintained causing them not to work or not to work long enough. If the radio beacon sinks with the aircraft or boat it can no longer be detected. In addition, most beacons must be manually activated. This may not be feasible (especially with aircraft). The radio beacons also fail to provide a visible marker for the rescuer. As described above, the radio beacons typically mark the location of the aircraft or boat. Since individual survivors may not be in proximity of the aircraft or boat, it can be difficult to find the individual survivors.